The da Vinci Surgical System

In order to better inform prospective patients and their families, this section offers resources on minimally invasive surgery (MIS), with a focus on selected procedures performed using the da Vinci® Surgical System.

Recent advancements in minimally invasive surgical technologies mean that today's patients have a broader range of alternatives to conventional open surgery than patients did just 10 years ago. These advancements include the da Vinci Surgical System, which is providing patients with new, minimally invasive surgical procedures that offer significant advantages over traditional “open” surgeries. These robotic-assisted minimally invasive procedures – available to treat conditions as diverse as obesity, heart disease and prostate cancer – can benefit patients with less pain, discomfort, blood loss and a quicker return to normal activities.

The da Vinci Surgical System from Intuitive Surgical, Inc. enhances surgical capabilities, providing superior visualization, enhanced dexterity, greater precision and ergonomic comfort. As a result of these capabilities, surgeons can now perform even complex surgery using 1-2 cm incisions. This enables healthcare providers to offer a minimally invasive treatment option to the broadest possible range of patients.

da Vinci Prostatectomy: A Revolution in Prostate Cancer Treatment

The da Vinci Surgical System has proven ideal for minimally invasive radical prostatectomy – the removal of the prostate to treat prostate cancer. In response to the success of the da Vinci Prostatectomy procedure and increased patient demand, Intuitive Surgical has launched a new web site, http://www.davinciprostatectomy.com/, designed especially for prostate cancer patients and their families.

Learn More

To learn more about minimally invasive surgery performed with the da Vinci System, talk with your doctor. To find a doctor who performs surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System, visit our new, patient education website – www.davincisurgery.com.

Urologic Conditions

The da Vinci® System provides breakthrough capabilities that allow surgeons to perform complex procedures with greater precision through tiny incisions. Robotic-assisted visualization, dexterity, precision and control can enable your surgeon to perform a wide array of urologic procedures through 1-2 cm incisions, from nephrectomies to radical prostatectomies, while achieving equal or better clinical outcomes.

Prostate cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the prostate. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is about the size of a walnut and surrounds the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). The prostate gland produces fluid that makes up part of the semen.

Approximately 16% of American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer sometime in their life. Treatment options and prognosis depend on the stage of the cancer, the Gleason score, and the patient's age and general health. With greater public awareness, early detection is on the rise and mortality rates are declining. Additionally, new advances in medical technology are enabling cancer victims to go on to live active and productive lives after their treatment. Consult with your doctor for advice on the options that are available to treat your specific condition.

Surgical Treatment: Radical Prostatectomy

One of the most common treatments for prostate cancer involves the surgical removal of the prostate gland, known as radical prostatectomy. Traditional radical prostatectomy requires a large, 8-10 inch incision. This open surgery commonly results in substantial blood loss, a lengthy and uncomfortable recovery and the risk of impotence and incontinence.

da Vinci® Prostatectomy (dVP): A Less Invasive Surgical Procedure

If your doctor recommends surgery to treat your prostate cancer, you may be a candidate for a new, less-invasive surgical procedure called da Vinci Prostatectomy. The da Vinci Prostatectomy (dVP) performed with the da Vinci Surgical System represents the fastest growing treatment for prostate cancer today.

da Vinci Prostatectomy incorporates a state-of-the-art surgical system that helps your surgeon see vital anatomical structures more clearly and to perform a more precise surgical procedure.

For most patients, dVP offers substantially less pain and a much shorter recovery than traditional prostate surgery. As a minimally invasive procedure, da Vinci Prostatectomy can offer numerous potential benefits over open prostatectomy including:

Shorter hospital stay

Less pain

Less risk of infection

Less blood loss and transfusions

Less scarring

Faster recovery

Quicker return to normal activities

Moreover, recent studies suggest that dVP may offer improved cancer control and a lower incidence of impotence and urinary incontinence.

As with any surgical procedure none of these benefits can be guaranteed as surgery is both patient and procedure dependent.

The bladder is an organ that stores urine and is located inside the lower part of the abdomen. Bladder cancer is a malignant growth in cells that comprise the lining of the bladder. Over 67,000 new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. yearly.1

Treatment OptionsTreatment options depend on the stage of bladder cancer. There are four standard treatment options for bladder cancer:

Surgery

Radiation

Chemotherapy

Biologic Therapy1

Depending on the patient's type and stage of bladder cancer, several treatments may be used in combination to increase the likelihood of a cure. Surgery is the dominant bladder cancer therapy chosen, and is performed in over 90% of bladder cancers (either alone are in combination with another therapy).2 For patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer, a radical cystectomy is the preferred form of treatment.3

Surgical Treatment: CystectomyA cystectomy is the removal of all or part of the bladder and possibly the removal of nearby lymph nodes and organs that may contain cancer. If the bladder is removed, the surgeon creates a new way for urine to leave the body. In some cases, a urinary diversion is performed to create a new way to for the body to store and pass urine.4

Cystectomy is traditionally performed using an open approach, which requires a large abdominal incision. Another approach, conventional laparoscopy, is less invasive, but limits the doctor's dexterity, visualization and control, compared to open surgery.

da Vinci Surgery uses state-of-the-art technology to help your doctor perform a more precise operation than conventional instrumentation allows. It offers numerous potential benefits over a conventional open surgery, including:

Significantly less pain

Less blood loss

Fewer transfusions

Less risk of infection

Less scarring

Shorter hospital stay

Shorter recovery time

Better clinical outcomes, in many cases

da Vinci Cystectomy incorporates the best techniques of open surgery and applies them to a robotic-assisted, minimally invasive approach.

The precision and dexterity afforded by the da Vinci Surgical System's advanced instrumentation facilitates a minimally invasive approach for treating bladder cancer. As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed, as surgery is patient and procedure specific. If you are a candidate for a cystectomy talk to a urologist who performs da Vinci surgery for bladder cancer.

The kidneys are two small organs located behind the abdomen, on each side of the spine. By producing urine, kidneys remove toxic by-products and excess fluids from the body, which helps maintain a critical balance of salt, potassium and acid. Cancer can form in the small tubes inside the kidney, which are used for filtering blood, and in the center of the kidney where urine collects. Over 51,000 new cases of kidney cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. yearly.1

Treatment Options:

Treatment options for kidney cancer depend upon the staging of the cancer (how large and whether it has spread) and the patient's age and general health.2 Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are all potential treatment options. Kidney cancer is relatively resistant to radiation and chemotherapy. As a result, the gold standard treatment for localized kidney cancer is removal of the kidney or kidney tumors.3

The three forms of surgical treatment are:

Partial nephrectomy: A surgical procedure to remove the cancer within the kidney and some of the tissue around it. A partial nephrectomy may be done to prevent loss of kidney function when the other kidney is damaged or has already been removed.

Kidney surgery is traditionally performed using an open approach, which requires a large abdominal incision. Another approach, conventional laparoscopy, is less invasive, but limits the doctor's dexterity, visualization and control, compared to open surgery.

da Vinci® for Kidney Cancer

If your doctor recommends surgery for kidney cancer, you may be a candidate for a new, minimally invasive approach – da Vinci Partial Nephrectomy or Nephrectomy.

da Vinci Surgery uses state-of-the-art technology to help your doctor perform a more precise operation than conventional instrumentation allows. It offers numerous potential benefits over a conventional open surgery, including:

As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed, as surgery is patient and procedure specific. If you are a candidate for kidney surgery, talk to a urologist who performs da Vinci urgery for kidney cancer

In order to better inform prospective patients and their families, this section offers resources on minimally invasive surgery (MIS), with a focus on selected procedures performed using the da Vinci® Surgical System.

Recent advancements in minimally invasive surgical technologies mean that today's patients have a broader range of alternatives to conventional open surgery than patients did just 10 years ago. These advancements include the da Vinci Surgical System, which is providing patients with new, minimally invasive surgical procedures that offer significant advantages over traditional “open” surgeries. These robotic-assisted minimally invasive procedures – available to treat conditions as diverse as obesity, heart disease and prostate cancer – can benefit patients with less pain, discomfort, blood loss and a quicker return to normal activities.